This cooker is a pre-1974 Aga 'Deluxe' range cooker most likely from the 1960s. The lack of 'air wheel' top left of the front indicates that it is a purpose built oil model; not converted from solid fuel as so many were. As many of you will know by now you can tell it's a pre-1974 cooker by the raised 'shelf' across the back of the hob. Big enough to sit a cup of tea on! Lots more detail above picture for those who are interested (weirdos!).

The usual suspects of wear on this cooker. The lid and door liners are ancient, thermometer is worn to dull blank finish and the tunnels (silver section between oven entrance and the oven castings themselves) are filthy.

Right top and front are off. We've skipped ahead a lot here as doing it is a lot of work! The old rubbish insulation piled on the top is rockwool; just loft insulation really. Nothing wrong with it as such but we can do much better! You can see in this pic how BIG the castings are, even the bracket between oven and barrel is a heat store in its own right!

This is what we use to suck all the old insulation out of Aga range cookers; the worlds biggest and most powerful vacuum cleaner. Cats, small dogs and pets must be removed from it's vicinity before use (seriously; its in the instructions) in case they 'disappear'... With 20metres of hose we can leave the unit outside and create almost no dust in your kitchen. It's another way we 'work clean'.

New front is on and what a beauty! You can see we have fitted a new thermometer too and refilled with the loose vermiculite insulation.

On top of the vermiculite goes our space age fibre blanket instead of the old loose bits of rockwool; a vast improvement.

On top of the insulation goes the new hob and lids, married up exactly with the front. The lid rims are black rather the aubergine as black enamel is tougher and more acid resistant than coloured. It looks better for longer!

Matthew is from a farming family near Bath and a graduate of King's College London who decided not to follow the 'standard' path into banking or the law. He has been working with these fabulous cookers in some form or another since 2003. Matthew runs Blake and Bull from beautiful Bradford on Avon, near Bath. Alf the golden retriever makes sure the working day finishes at 6pm sharp - dog walk time!